


Lock the door and bar the windows, I'll still find my way inside your heart~

by Merlioske, Sunfall_of_Ennien



Series: you  Draw it, i Breathe it Words [13]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: A Few Proposals In Fact, Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Is King, Arthur Knows How to Deal, Canon Era, Gen, Happy Ending, Happy happy family, Idiots in Love, Kid Fic, M/M, Meaning Words came First for once, Merlin is Worried, Merlin is confused, Merlioske-friendly, Shiny Crown is Shiny, canon AU, proposal, reverse fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlioske/pseuds/Merlioske, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunfall_of_Ennien/pseuds/Sunfall_of_Ennien
Summary: Arthur gets a Midnight Visitor and his Life Improves.orWho needs sleep when there's a King to Bug.orThe Cook is Worried about the King of Camelot's new dietary ... changes.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: you  Draw it, i Breathe it Words [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914007
Comments: 54
Kudos: 213
Collections: Numerous OTPS Infinite Fandoms





	Lock the door and bar the windows, I'll still find my way inside your heart~

**Author's Note:**

> So i was not supposed to write this but, well. My brain is... well. anywho. so this happened and then i poked Sun so art happened as well, so yay! Another part to our series x3
> 
> hope you enjoy~~~
> 
> as usual, biggest thanks to [Pelydryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pelydryn/pseuds/Pelydryn) for the beta <333

~x~

The first time Arthur woke up - in the middle of the night, mind -to a young girl, sitting curled up at the foot of his bed and just… Staring at him sleep, he couldn't even say he was surprised.

"Hello," he said instead, giving a valiant attempt to not sound hoarse and, well, asleep.

"Hello," she echoed softly, and Arthur couldn't help the little smile her voice pulled to his lips. "Papa talk about you lot," the strange little girl continued unprompted, and Arthur pulled himself up, fluffed the pillows behind his back and made himself comfortable against the headboard. He had a feeling this might take a while.

"Oh?"

She nodded seriously, and the King of Camelot couldn't help a grin at her solemn expression. "And what does your Papa say about me?"

She cocked her head to the side, blinking at him owlishly. "Lot. I curious. Came see you for me."

Arthur nodded. That sounded fair. "And what are your thoughts so far?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Snore loud."

Arthur laughed. It was strange, the girl was definitely magic - after all, she'd gotten into his very much locked and guarded chambers in the middle of the night. Not to mention her snow white hair cascading down her back and her piercing blue eyes. Eyes, Arthur noted, that were distinctly reminiscent of someone else he knew. Still, Arthur did not feel afraid. Not one bit threatened. Which, according to his father at least, was sure, foolproof Evidence that he was Enchanted. Shaking away the thought, Arthur refocused on his midnight guest. "I'm sure I do. Can't help that though."

She hummed thoughtfully. "You very golden. Just as Papa says."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Thank you, I think. You're… Very snow-y." He winced as soon as he said it but the girl beamed.

"Yes! Am! Papa loves. I---” She cocked her head to the side then, seemingly listening to the night. A moment later she jumped to her feet. "Papa call. I go now." She went to the window, stopped, turned back to the bed and did what Arthur supposed was probably meant to be a curtsy. It was _not_ a curtsy. It _was_ adorable, however. "Twas nice meet you."

Before Arthur could so much as open his mouth, the girl turned on her heel and jumped out the window. Arthur blinked. "Nice to meet you too."

~x~

"Papa said you an idiot for trusting that digni… dagni… New human."

Arthur congratulated himself silently for not jerking and not spilling his goblet of wine all over himself. Instead, he put the goblet down gently and turned to where his visitor was clambering down the windowsill and was darting over to the table - Arthur was in the middle of dinner - to inspect the deliciously smelling dishes, no doubt.

"And has your Papa included any solid evidence to substantiate his claim?" Arthur asked calmly, watching with interest as the girl sniffed the venison steak and then poked it with a finger, frowning slightly.

"What _wrong_ with meat?" she asked, obviously agitated.

Arthur's eyebrow rose. "To my knowledge, nothing at all."

She sniffed it again. "It's… It smells… Ew. It smells _fire_." She sounded downright offended at the thought.

"Well, yes. It's been cooked," Arthur explained, bemused, and chuckled at her squawk.

" _Why_ would you do that to good meat?!?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"What else would you do to meat?" Arthur asked her curiously and was only a little surprised when the girl launched into an explanation on how the only _proper way_ of eating meat was, of course, raw. Arthur was fascinated.

"I promise to have some nice raw morsels for you next time you visit, how does that sound?"

The girl nodded, placated, and Arthur smiled. "Now then, about those dignitaries?"

She turned those eerily familiar eyes on him. "They smell betrayal," she stated with perfect certainty.

Arthur sighed. "Of course they do."

~x~

Arthur didn't know _what_ it was that woke him, per se… He just… One moment he was asleep, dreaming, a rather… _Fun_ dream at that, featuring him and his manservant and his manservant's neckerchief, and the next he was wide awake.

"I can't sleep."

Ah, that would explain it. Arthur shuffled his bedcovers over himself discreetly.

"Hello, little one."

She poked him in the side, and oh by the gods, she was _pouting,_ and how was _that_ fair, Arthur asked, how?

"I. Can't. Sleep." A poke punctuated each word. Arthur did not coo. He did not. He was the King of Camelot and Kings, as per general rule, did not coo at adorable creatures of magic.

"Well, why don't you ask your Papa to tell you a story or, perhaps, sing you a lullaby?" he asked, turning onto his back and folding an arm under his head.

Her pout, if that were even possible, only grew. "Can't. He's…" She bit her lip then, a frown on her forehead. "He's busy."

Arthur's eyebrow shot up. "Too busy for you?" How _anyone_ could ever be too busy for the adorable little girl was beyond him, but then again, his father had been… Well. So maybe he had no leg to stand on considering parenting. But come _on_ , the girl was beyond precious. If she were his, he would most definitely make sure to always have time for her, he was sure.

She huffed. "Busy fixing mess _you_ made yesterday in woods."

Arthur gaped. " _I_ made? I did _not_ make any mess in the woo---" He cut himself off, frowning. He remembered Merlin telling him in hushed whispers while they were trudging through the woods yesterday to _Don't, sire, it's sacred, there'll be consequences if you---_ … He remembered snorting and waving his manservant off. There was no way. It had to be a coincidence that…

"What mess… exactly, did I make?" he asked carefully, and his little visitor huffed.

"Don't know. Papa didn't tell me _that._ All he tell was that you made mess, _again,_ and that he had to go fix things. _Again._ Then he tucked me in and left. But I can't sleep! There's this loud… Buzzing sorta noise. Like something that should not be awake is. It bugs me."

Arthur, even with guilt weighing him down, and thoughts and dots, connecting all over his mind, still had to admire just how well the little girl spoke. She had made huge progress in the last couple of months.

"I see. Well. If he's busy because of me I guess I've no choice but to help you sleep in his stead." He patted the pillow beside him and smiled softly when she snuggled under the covers and curled by his side.

"You sing me?"

Arthur chuckled. "Not unless you want to have nightmares instead of dreams. No, how about a story instead? One of my nannies had a love for tales of old. Would you like that?"

"Dragons?" she asked, quiet, and Arthur hesitated.

"What about them?"

"Love dragons." She snuggled closer, shuffling under his arm. Arthur curled his arm around her on instinct, earning a contented huff. "I… All right. If you love dragons, I'll tell you a story about a dragon...knight."

It couldn't be too hard, right? What's so hard about telling a story anyway, right?

And so, Arthur started. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away…"

That night he learned that even if he did snore, he wasn't alone in that. Not at all.

~x~

"Ah, there you are, _Mer_ lin. Just the man I need--- _wanted_ to see!" Arthur cheerfully waved his manservant over to the stall he was at and merrily ignored the eyebrow that climbed to the top of Merlin's forehead.

"You're… At the market. You're at the market. Why are you at the market?"

The questions came fast and almost accusatory. Arthur bit down a grin.

"I am looking for a gift."

Merlin's jaw promptly fell to the ground. Arthur snorted. His grin turned chagrined then and he shrugged. "Alas, I'm a bit at a loss as to what to get."

Merlin collected his jaw, reined in his surprise and nodded. "All right. Who are we looking for the gift for? If it's Gwen then ---"

Arthur blinked. "Why would I be looking for a gift for Gwen?"

Merlin blinked right back. "Doesn't courting usually require gifts?"

"I…" Arthur was at a loss for words for a moment. "You… You think… I and… Gwen?!?" He did _not_ shriek. He was a King and Kings, as per general rule, did _not_ shriek.

Merlin's eyebrow rose again. "Right. If it's not Gwen, who? It's usually easier to buy something for someone when you know who you're buying for."

Arthur huffed. "You don't know her."

Merlin froze. All of him. Went absolutely and completely still. It was eerie. Arthur had never seen his manservant that still before.

"I… See. Well, I'm…" He cleared his throat, his hands shaking just the slightest bit when he reached for a scarf laying on the stall. "I'm not too well versed in buying gifts for noblewomen but Gwen always sings this merchant's praises."

His voice was subdued, barely there even, and the spark that usually resided in each syllable was missing now. Arthur hummed.

"She's not a noble. At least, I don't think she is." He looked down at the neckerchiefs Merlin was running his fingers over now. "Not to mention, she's rather too young for a scarf like this; I fear she could hurt herself playing with it instead of wearing it properly."

He kept a keen eye on Merlin's shoulders, which relaxed infinitesimally at that.

"Oh. Well. Toys are always fun for younger children. That or tasty treats." He raised his eyes to Arthur's then, something too close to hope for Arthur to actively name in his gaze.

Arthur swallowed. "Yeah I'll… I'll take a look at the toys then."

Merlin nodded, turned on his heel, motioned for Arthur to follow him over his shoulder. "The Toy Maker is this way."

Arthur followed.

And if he stopped by the scarf stall on his way back, and if he bought the neckerchief his manservant was so wistfully eyeing, well, no one needed to know, now did they.

~x~

"For… me?"

Arthur nodded, watching her reaction carefully. His guest, who was called Aithusa, and wasn't that just so very appropriate considering her coloring, as he had _finally_ learned, had just finished devouring a chicken. Skin and bones all. That… Was not a sight Arthur was too keen on seeing again any time soon. She looked happy though, so there was that. After making sure she had washed her hands and face clean, Arthur handed her a package.

Her fingers, usually moving almost too fast for him to track, were slow and careful on the bow, trailing over the ribbon with awe.

"Why?" she asked quietly, her blue _blue_ and far-too-wise eyes rising to his.

Arthur offered her half a shrug. "Because I felt like it."

She beamed. "Thank you, Sire."

As the little girl busied herself with opening the package, carefully, so so carefully, Arthur couldn't keep his expression neutral. He _knew_ that tone. There was one, count with him here, _one_ person, who managed to make his title sound like… Like that. Arthur swallowed.

Aithusa shrieked in joy then, and Arthur's attention snapped back to her.

"Dragon!" She was clutching the toy in her hands like it was made out of precious jewels instead of wood, her face shining in such happiness it took the King's breath away for a second.

"I take it you li--- oomph!" Arthur wheezed then laughed when she barrelled into him, throwing her arms around his neck and nuzzling his cheek in thanks.

Arthur grinned.

~x~

"Why haven't you given it to him yet?"

Arthur startled so badly, the neckerchief he had been running through his fingers fluttered to the floor of his chambers.

"Aithusa! Little warning maybe? Good gods…" the King of Camelot wheezed out, sweeping the cloth into his hands and sticking it down his pocket, feeling rather chagrined, as his cheeks flared crimson.

His little guest just hummed, clambering onto his favorite chair by the table and taking a swipe at a quill, which Arthur was quick to rescue from the curious fingers.

"You should give it him. He like," she told him with confidence Arthur found himself lacking.

"Oh? And you know this how?"

She shrugged. "Everyone like gifts." She sighed then. It sounded… Sad. Arthur was immediately concerned.

"Little one? What's the matter?"

"Papa…" She didn't offer anything more and seemed content to just fiddle with the drafts of his speech on the table for a bit. While she was busy, Arthur stuck his head out the door and waved a maid passing by over to ask for some raw meat. The maid, as she was properly trained for the royal household, did not show any reaction to the strange request and left with a curtsy. Arthur closed the door after thanking her, locking it for good measure.

"What about your Papa, little one?" he asked, walking back towards the table.

She sighed again. "He sad. He said you…" She bit her lip, threw a quick look to Arthur and then sighed again.

Arthur gulped, walking around the table. "Hey. Talk to me, darling. What'd your Papa say? If I don't know what's wrong, I can't fix it."

She clambered off his chair and began pacing, unable to keep still in her apparent agitation. "Papa said you no trust him. Papa said also you avoiding him." She turned to Arthur with something that rather closely reminded him of anger. Arthur did _not_ flinch. He was a King and Kings… "Papa said you gave him night off."

And there it was. Arthur collapsed onto his chair, a breath he didn't know he had been holding exploding out of him. "Did I?" he asked faintly, fingers slipping into his pocket and wrapping around the neckerchief, attempting to find some minor comfort in the action.

She nodded, quick motions, and then cocked her head to the side, apparently noticing something was off with him. "You very white. Why."

He waved her concern off and then motioned for her to hide under the bed as a knock sounded on the door.

"That'd be your treats, go hide until I bring them in, yeah?"

She hummed her agreement and scrambled under his bed, her worries forgotten as she let out a mighty sneeze and made him chuckle faintly.

The knock came again and Arthur huffed. "Yes yes, coming already. Honestly, rushing a King---"

He fell silent when upon unlocking his door, he saw who stood behind it.

"Sire."

Arthur frowned. That was definitely _not_ the _well hello there, dollophead_ or the _haven't seen you in a while, clotpole_ or even the _what **are** you up to, you turniphead._ No. This wasn't even the _by the gods, you are such a prat._ It was, and the King shuddered to even think it, an actual, Sire. Arthur was worried.

"I've brought your tray. Lucy said you've made a _special_ request."

Arthur looked down at the covered tray Merlin was carrying. Cleared his throat. And for some reason, for all his tutelage in all things political, what came out of his mouth was-

"I thought I had given you the night off?"

Something sparked in Merlin's eyes at that. His lips thinned, and he shoved the tray into Arthur's arms. "Indeed. Well, there you go, Sire. Have a good evening."

And with that, he turned on a heel and left.

Arthur kicked the door closed and banged his forehead against them.

"Food?" Came a quiet peep from behind him, and Arthur refocused. Locked the doors, put a smile on his face and turned towards his little waiting visitor.

She still had her new friend clutched in her hands. She didn't seem to ever let him out of her sight. Arthur's smile felt a lot less forced when he saw it.

~x~

It took a while. The drawing of the new laws regarding sorcery. It would have probably taken far less, had Arthur actually consulted the one sorcerer he knew _of_. But Arthur was feeling petty. So he gave said sorcerer leave to visit his mam instead. Somehow, the fact that he'd lose his little visitor too, during said leave, had escaped him entirely. Thus, Arthur was left all by his lonesome after a fuming Merlin had ridden out and no scrambles into Arthur's chambers through the window and no patter of little feet followed.

It wasn't like he was getting lonely or anything. After all, he had a kingdom to rule and Knights to train and… And he missed her. Missed her prattle and her laughter and her joy and her hugs and… He missed how she talked about her Papa. Missed how she retold of his rantings and his travels. His troubles, most usually involving or caused by a certain golden King. His adventures and his achievements. He missed how he would learn his manservant piece by piece, from the mouth of his gorgeous little girl. Learn him more with each one of her visits. Love him more as well. Even with all the lies and the betrayals. Even with all the, frankly insulting amounts of, treason too. He couldn't help it. Couldn't stop himself from loving him.

~x~

Merlin sighed. While he had enjoyed his visit to his mam, he _had,_ it… Was not the same. His mam too. As ecstatic as she was to see Aithusa again, she couldn't quite hide her disappointment about there only being two visitors that had turned up at her door.

Merlin sighed. Again. He didn _'_ t know _why_ Arthur had become as distant as he had in the last couple of months. And it bugged him. At first, he thought maybe Arthur had finally found out. But then again, his head was still on his shoulders so that couldn't have been it. Not that Merlin honestly believed Arthur would execute him, but…

Then he considered the possibility of Arthur courting someone and wanting to keep it a secret for one reason or another. But the Gossip Mill in the citadel was quiet on any and all intel about that part of the King's life, so that was another theory under the wagon.

So consumed he was within his contemplation, Merlin didn't even notice he was being addressed.

"...pa! Papa! Pa! Pa!"

Finally snapping back to the present, Merlin bit down a grin that threatened to overcome him - his little girl was directing a full-on Pout in his direction.

"Yes, little one?"

The pout did not recede.

"You no listen to me. I bored. Can I go? Horse too slow."

Merlin frowned, patting his mare in absentminded comfort. He was not too comfortable letting Aithusa off alone. Especially during daytime. But then again… He _could_ cast a slight invisibility charm on her.

Humming, Merlin let his eyes flare for a moment before nodding. "Sure thing, sweetheart. Just---"

"Careful careful. _Yes_ , Papa, I know." She pecked him on the cheek and was off, zooming into the air and towards Camelot. Merlin chuckled half-heartedly; she must have missed home too.

With another sigh and a shake of his head, Merlin gently urged his mount homewards as well. Weather holding, he'd reach the citadel before the evening bell.

~x~

He didn't knock before entering. Not that he ever did, but his arms, full of a tray of Arthur's dinner, at least gave him plausible deniability this time.

"I've your food, Sire," Merlin stated loudly after forcing the door unlocked a tad faster than usual. The fact that he had intercepted the covered tray from … Someone, well. And if, by chance, he unlocked the door without using his key for the purpose of doing it quietly as to not alert whoever it was Arthur had been trying to hide from him… _Well._

Merlin kicked the door shut behind him and stepped towards the table with confident steps. He placed the tray on the table a breath louder than usual, uncovered it and promptly froze. There, on a separate plate, next to Arthur's meal, sat a little mountain of cut pieces of… Fresh, raw venison. Merlin's brain refused to process what he was seeing.

"Papa!"

Merlin closed his eyes slowly. Took a deep breath. Opened them. Turned around, a pained expression on his face.

"Welcome home, _Mer_ lin," the King of Camelot said calmly, while his own damned _daughter_ waved at him cheerfully from where she was perched on the said King's lap.

Merlin couldn't speak. Just. Couldn't. Thankfully, it seemed his King was feeling chatty enough for the both of them.

"About time you got here, in fact. We've been waiting, haven't we, little one?" Aithusa nodded fervently, seemingly bursting with excitement. Merlin wasn't quite as eager.

Still unable to make words happen, he instead busied himself with plating the food with stiff hands, not deigning to acknowledge either his King or his daughter.

"Papa?"

Merlin's eyes fluttered closed for a second - she sounded so unsure, so… Fragile. But no. He was still mad at them. Both of them. How dare---

"So Aithusa and I have been looking over this legislation I've been working on for the last week or so. We're pretty sure it's ready for the final approval before I announce it publicly."

He sounded so calm, so smooth and collected, Merlin barely managed to keep his magic from lashing out. The plate did crack, very neatly, down the middle though.

"I was hoping…" And here Merlin's eyebrow rose, his King sounded… Unsure, almost. "I was hoping you'd look it over?"

Merlin twirled around at that, a look of incredulity on his face. "Whatever for?"

Aithusa scrambled off Arthur's lap while Merlin was still reeling, and jumped up on a chair at the table, reaching her grabby hands towards the plate with cut up raw meat.

"Papa, hungry, give!" she whined, her big blues round and pleading, and Merlin pushed the plate towards her without taking his eyes off his King.

"Why would you want me to look over a new legislation, Sire?" he asked softly, his ire lessening as he saw his King swallow nervously before standing and rounding the table, a parchment clutched in his hands.

"Because, well… I figure that my Court Sorcerer should have a say in how the laws concerning magic work in my kingdom."

Merlin felt his world shift sideways. His King wasn't done, however.

"That or… My… My Consort should have a say in how we rule _our_ kingdom."

Merlin's world shifted sideways again, and if not for the table that he found himself clutching the edge of, he felt like he would have collapsed then and there.

"Court… Sorcerer," he whispered, watching as his King took a hesitant step closer. "Consort?" he breathed when Arthur reached him, worrying his lip between his teeth.

“I mean… If, that is, you felt like accepting a position and a title.. Or two.”

Merlin was reeling, even as his face did something that made his King’s lips twitch upwards at him and gentle hands land on his waist.

“A position and a title you say?” Merlin asked, his own hands finding purchase on his King's chest.

"Both!" Aithusa piped in suddenly, mid-chew, startling both men.

"Both?" Arthur asked, barely above a whisper, his eyes holding such hope there was only one answer Merlin could think to offer.

He smiled, tentative, and saw that hope soar in his King's eyes. "Both is good," he agreed, watched a grin bloom across Arthur's lips and stepped in to kiss off his lips. He couldn't not.

~x~

P.S.

When Aithusa got into Arthur’s jewelry, she, being the Dragon Princess that she was and, as such, having impeccable taste, went straight for the King’s Crown. It sat crooked and far too large on her snowy hair. She loved it. Arthur loved it. Merlin damn near had an aneurysm when he saw his husband-to-be, with their dragon daughter on his shoulders, strolling through the castle corridors and looking as delighted as could be.

Needless to say, neither Aithusa nor Arthur were too much amused when the Crown of the High King of Albion got confiscated and spirited away back into its usual resting place by a fuming Merlin.

Still. It was far from the last time the crown found its way onto a snowy head. It was, after all, Her Royal Highness, Princess Aithusa of Albion’s favourite crown as a Princess. And later on, breaking all protocols and refusing to have her own made, as Queen’s ofAlbion as well.

~x~

**Author's Note:**

> comments feed me soul and mayhaps even help with this bigass writer's block i'm in.  
> xoxoxo


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